A man driving a stolen vehicle plowed through the Edson provincial building and courthouse on Saturday morning, leaving shattered glass and rubble — and anti-Semitic slurs — behind.
Now, members of various religious communities are denouncing prejudicial slurs, and the Edson RCMP are investigating.
The case will be investigated as a hate crime, RCMP spokesperson, Cpl. Marcia McDermott, said.
The suspect allegedly stole the vehicle from the ATCO Electric lot next door, drove through the fence, then through the east entrance of the provincial building, RCMP said in a news release Saturday night. The vehicle went through the building, exiting on the west side, before driving into the attached courthouse.
Edson RCMP received reports of excessive damage at about 9:30 a.m. They found anti-Semitic messages scattered throughout the scene when they arrived.
Edson Mennonite Church condemns anti-Semitism
Rick Vanderveen belongs to Edson’s Mennonite Church. He said he’s against attacks on religion.
“I’m just totally shocked. It’s something that I would never thought have happened,” Vanderveen said.
The Mennonite church sympathizes with anyone affected by the images, he added.
Rick Vanderveen is a member of the Edson Mennonite Church. He said his community condemns anti-Semitism. (Scott Neufeld/CBC)
Vanderveen was surprised to learn RCMP officers found slurs targeting Judaism in his town.
“It surprised me greatly because Edson doesn’t have a Jewish identity of any sort,” he said.
Displays of prejudice ‘put a community on edge’
About 10 of Edson’s more than 8,000 residents identify as Jewish, according to the 2016 census.
Steven Shafir, the Jewish Federation of Edmonton president, believes the size of the Jewish population in Edson doesn’t matter; prejudice has widespread consequences.
“While [the slurs in Edson] may not specifically be injuring or harming an individual person physically, they do harm people emotionally. They also put a community on edge,” Shafir said.
Shafir also said he’s concerned about the increase in hate crimes targeting the Jewish community across Canada, calling the trend “saddening” and “alarming.”
It’s unfortunate that certain individuals have these hateful views.– Edson Mayor Kevin Zahara
Edson’s Mayor, Kevin Zahara, walked through the buildings to see the damage firsthand.
Zahara said he didn’t get a chance to see the anti-Semitic markings, but confirmed RCMP officers are investigating them.
Edson’s mayor, Kevin Zahara, said he does not tolerate hate. (Scott Neufeld/CBC)
Not the first time Edson has responded to hate
This isn’t the first time Zahara has had to denounce attacks against a religion in Edson: last year, an arsonist targeted the town’s mosque.
The mayor said he doesn’t tolerate hate.
“It’s unfortunate that certain individuals have these hateful views,” Zahara said, before urging people not to connect last year’s arson attack with Saturday’s vandalism.
“We’re always concerned when incidents like this occur in our community, especially when there’s hateful comments that are left behind,” Zahara said. “It does not represent our community as a whole.”
“We’re a very inclusive and welcoming community, and we’re very happy that a suspect has been arrested,” he said.
RCMP said the suspect has multiple charges pending.
Edson is located about two hours west of Edmonton.
With files from Anna McMillan and Tricia Kindleman.